Improvement in dies for making watch-case centers



ZSheets-SheetL J. FORTENBACH.

DIES FOR MAKING WATCH-CASE CENTERS, No. 185,174. Patented Dec. 12, 1878.

77571655125; imam 5 THE GRAPHIC C(LNM I 2Sheets-Sheet 2. LMRTENBAcHLDIES FOR MAKING WATCH-CASE CENTERS.

' No. 185,174 Patented. Dec. 12, 1876.

UNITED STATES PATENT OE IoE.

JOSEPH FORTENBACH, OF OARLSTADT, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN DIES FOR MAKING WATCH-CASE CENTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,174, dated December12, 1876; application filed May 7, 1875.

A part of this specification.

Watch-cases have heretofore been made in the following manner: The metalwas first cast into bars. Bezels and centers were then drawn from thebars by a draw-bench through a draw-plate or dies, then cut ofi' insuitable lengths, soldered, and swaged down to a suitable shape andsize. For the backs and caps, plates were rolled out through rollers tothe required thickness, cut in shape with shears, and swaged up byfollowers, made usually of brass or composition. Snaps were then so]-dered on, and the pieces finished up in lathes, and the required formgiven to them by means of gravers and different other and well-knowntools.

By my improvements I am enabled to manufacture a watch-case without thenecessity of first drawing any of the parts from bars, and thensoldering the ends of the sections out therefrom, or of making the snapsseparate from such parts, and subsequently uniting them by means ofsolder.

By such improvements all the parts referred to are formed up by meansofa series of (lies, the centers containing shoulders for bezels andcaps, back and front backs, the bezels to their proper shape, and thecovers containing snaps formed solidly thereto, thereby avoiding thenecessity of solder and much manual labor in the attachment of suchsnaps.

To make the center which is the subjectmatter ol'the presentapplication, a blank cut from the rolled metal is formed up into a cupshape, like Fig. l, by the dies of a double-action press, theconstruction of which dies is shown in Fig. 2. This cup is then placedin dies, which are shown in Fig. 3, where it gets the shape seen in Fig.4:. It is then placed in dies, which are shown in Fig. 5, where it getsthe shape seen in Fig. 6. It is then placed in the double lower andupper dies, which are shown in Fig. 7, where it gets the shape seen inFig. 8. It is then placed in the. same double lower die and an upperdie, as shown in Fig. 9, when it gets the flattened shape on A top, asseen in Fig. 10.

These last dies give the piece shoulders on one side for the bezel andfront back, and on the other sidefor the caps and back back, as seen inFig. 10. These dies are new, and their operation will be understood froman inspection of the drawings. a b on the upper die and c d on the lowerdie are recesses, by means of which the center receives the shouldersreferred to.

After the piece comes out of these dies it is put into dies shown inFig. 11, and a round plate cut out of the rear, thus making the piecethe center of a watch-case, and suitable for receiving the movement,such center being a solid piece, without seam or joints, as shown inFigs. 12 and 13.

1 claim l. The combination of the dies, Figs. 2, 3,

v 5, 7', 9, and 11, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The dies shown in Fig. 5, substantially as described. A

3. The dies shown in Fig. 7, substantially as described.

4. The dies shown in Fig. 9, substantially as described.

JOSEPH FORTENBAGH.

Witnesses:

JAMES H. HUNTER, K. N EWELL.

